1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for defrosting, in a microwave oven, serving portions of frozen, foodstuffs a) that are difficult to penetrate with a spoon, as frozen whipped cream, b) that are too rigid to easily masticate, as frozen chocolate covered candy and c) that, when arbitrarily frozen and defrosted, provide novel tasty results, as a "cool outside, warm inside" jelly doughnut.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is known to defrost and heat a TV dinner, packaged in aluminum foil trays, in microwave ovens, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,854,023 and 3,985,990.
It is known to selectively defrost a frozen foodstuff in a microwave oven by selectively covering parts of it with microwave-reflective material. For example, it is known to defrost and heat, in a microwave oven, the chocolate topping on a hot chocolate ice cream dessert, without defrosting the ice cream, by mechanically shielding the ice cream from microwave energy.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,233,325 teaches how to selectively defrost a foodstuff in a microwave-reflective two compartment apparatus.
It is known to temper frozen meat, in an industrial microwave oven, by exposing, in a chilled environment, the frozen meat to microwave energy.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,488,817 teaches an ice cream maker that comprises an outer vessel and inner vessel having an annular space there between. The annular space is filled with a freezing mixture. Ingredients for making ice cream are placed in the inner vessel. The ingredients freeze while they are slowly stirred with paddles that one operates manually or with an electric motor.
My copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/746,809, filed Nov. 18, 1996, for "Methods for Denaturing and Whipping into a Foam Protein Found in Milk and Egg and the Resulting Product," teaches to prepare milk and egg products in a microwave-reflective vessel with a cold-keeping agent. Copending patent application Ser. No. 08/746,809 teaches that whole shelled egg, and whole milk, two products that do not normally whip into a foam, when whipped as taught, therein, whip into lasting, useful foams. This copending application teaches that, when flavored, chilled and hard frozen, these novel foams may be employed as a confection. These foam confections may be used either in combination with or to replace conventional whipped cream, ice cream, ice milk, sherbet, frozen yogurt and the like. These foam confection may be scooped and served in the manner of either whipped cream or ice cream, i.e., in or on cones, banana splits, sundaes, sodas, and the like. Copending patent application Ser. No. 08/746,809 teaches that certain foamed confections, that are rich in saturated fat, freeze into a rigid mass that is difficult to penetrate with a spoon or scoop.
It is known that frozen foodstuffs, when defrosted in a microwave oven, are subject to edge heating, end heating, thermal runaway, selective and spot heating.